Love Letter

If I sit quietly, and go back to my living room in Des Moines—to the red velvet club chairs, black couch and homemade stereo cabinet, I can still hear the music that played like a score through my childhood,—Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass's "A Taste of Honey," Andy Williams's "Hawaiian Wedding Song," and numerous Firestone Christmas albums that were the score to my young life.

Our living room in Iowa was always filled with music.

The notes curled through the living room where my dad kicked back after a long day on the road, enjoying his evening martini. Then flowed past the harvest-gold stove, where my mother, in her apron, poked at the pot roast with a carving fork to see if it was tender. I can even smell the fresh prune spice cake that just came out of the oven.

But the song I remember dancing around the house to and singing at the top of my lungs, was Burt Bachrach's "What the World Needs Now" sung by Dionne Warwick. Its message so perfect for today.

The theme of love and a broken world inspired me, not long ago, to write my poem "Love Letter," which was recently published in Little Thought's Press' anthology, "Better Together."

I am so pleased to share my poem with you this morning. If life and the world are feeling heavy to you this Holiday, as they are for me, I hope you will look for the moments of love all around you—from family, neighbors, even strangers. Love is here, we just need to choose to see it, to be it...more.

Merry Christmas to all! Happy Poetry Friday.

Thanks to Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise for hosting this week. Her December Mash-Up '26 poem is very clever. This link will take you to that poem and more lovely poetry in the comments of her blog.